tcovert's Winter 2009 Mentor Group - FULL (Page 11)

Awesome pictures!  Congratulations so very very much. 

I'll be glad when I get down farther like you did...got to help on the bike and the run for sure. 

Todd,

 That is absolutely amazing!!!! You are a very inspiring person. Thanks for those pictures, and congratulations on your success with what we all know is a daily battle.

 Jake

WOW, Todd. Isn't it amazing how we change on the outside and the inside when we get rid of unwanted/un-needed pounds? I'm glad you posted those. For my WW meetings I have to have my "before" picture and then I"m the living, breathing after...I always hate showing the picture, but I have it set up behind me, as to say this is behind me and in the past.

I wanted to respond to the soda issue: I used to be a huge diet coke/pepsi fan and 8 years ago drank the equivalent of a giant big gulp daily. I got off the soda, but did it gradually. I'd let myself have one diet whatever once a day but only one medium and I made a deal that I had to drink a big glass or bottle of water afterwards. If I messed up and drank more than one per day, I'd keep my agreement to drink a big water. Then, I slowly made the withdrawals from soda altogether and started getting iced tea (a big one). The tea took care of the caffeine fix and feeling full part, but I just struggled through the carbonation withdrawal. Now I really don't care for carbonated beverages and have a very rare sip of soda when my husband gets one at the movies. It's been about 7 years or so now. So, it's very do-able to leave it behind. Plus, like Todd said, I think the carbonation is really bad for your bones, it leeches calcium and can contribute to  osteoporosis later on. I certainly empathisize with the weight issues, too.

As far as what distances to do, I ended up tackling an oly in the fall last year after several sprints because the sprints were no longer such a challenge. This whole tri thing for me is to be alive and feel that aliveness and use the tri experience as a learning experience both emotionally, mentally and physically. Plus, It's FUN and I'm meeting a lot of great people and new parts of myself. It's all really a journey. I do plan on doing a HIM at the end of the year and I may not ever do an IM -- I don't think one needs to do an IM to consider oneself a triathlete. There are all different levels of triathlete.  Just like people take the triathlon on in different ways -- some want to finish and that's a "win" for them, and some want to compete (at whatever level that is for them) with themselves and others want to compete with others and of course there are the pros. There's room in triathlon for all of us.

You guys all inspired me to write a chapter here -- oops. Nice discussion.

Ooh, I'll play "Before & After" ...

January, 2008 at Disneyland with my daughter - 280lbs

October, 2008 at the Day at the Beach Tri in Hermosa - 195lbs

Awesome Morgan! You and Todd look so fit!  

I'll have to see if I can find something to show.  But frankly, I'm having a hard enough time getting a profile picture posted.  The web site keeps saying it's too big and I can't figure out how to save one to a smaller file.

Scott-- Try this program. It lets your re-size your photos so you can get them on BT 

http://www.irfanview.net/

I was having the same problem at first. 

Hey Scott,

My email is in my profile ... if you want to send me pics, I'll resize them for you. 

I was buying two 2-liter bottles of Diet 7-Up for work and drinking more at home before I started on this goal of driniking water, 800- to 100 ounces a day.  The same two 2 liter bottles that I had the day I started it over a month ago are still under my desk.  I still get some Diet Orange at home, but hardly more than a glass and then only once every two or three days.  

I dumped most of the diet soda after learning that it fuels overeating some how.  Studies show when you drink it, your body becomes poised for sugar that the soda doesn't satisfy, so you start to crave it and then over do when you finally give in.  Frangkly, I don't know oif that was a problem with me because I was losing and am losing fast enough.  But I just started making different choices when I am thirsty to get all that water in and the diet soda use dropped on its own. 

 The oesteo issue is another great reason to avoid the carbonation.  My aunt was so sick with it that she couldn't be moved in the nursing home without fear of breaking a bone.  She lived that way stuck in a bed for 15 years.  Not me, no way, no how.

a quick shout out to all of you folks realizing such fantastic results in your weight-loss goals.  Unbelievable!  I've never had an issue with my weight (it's totally genetic and I struggle with other demons...) but, my partner lives with it constantly so I understand the significance of losing not only many pounds but one or two.  You all rock!

Despite still not pulling the trigger on signing up for any races I feel good about the rhythm I'm keeping with the training and I'm not going to stress about the whens or the wheres right now.  Enjoy your day

Okay, one more shamelessly proud father family pic that was taken just before Xmas ... just 'cause I like the picture

nice looking family Morgan

wish we could be in shirtsleeves at christmas...

Todd,

Awesome, man!  Go for it!  Hope to follow you to the tattoo parlor one day.

Morgan, thanks for the assist!

That good looking guy next to this is me.  Taken in Oct. 2007 at the Austin LiveSTRONG Challenge and Ride of the Roses.  I've lost much more since then.  Down three more pants sizes to a 36 and still losing from all this cross training.   

Here is the link to my spreadsheet:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p1ZRfDYsNZlyS1spdWltKVg

That is for about the last month or so. Here is mine from the summer when I dropped a bunch of weight:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p1ZRfDYsNZlzBI3w6us1lbQ

The second link is unlocked if you want to copy and paste it into your own spreadsheet. Really the only number that matters on there is the trend line. The others are weighted averages that I was just curiosu about. All you have to do is enter a date in the first box and the rest of the dates will fill in. Then you just enter the dates and all the other info will insert automatically.

I will show before and current pics when I get a current pic. I'm about halfway to my goal. As of today I am down 25 pounds from my max around last june and I want to drop another 25 before I finish.

By the way, congrats to all of you who have dropped so much weight. I hope I'm on my way to joining you.